Scooter Feeding question

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Linda and Scooter & Jack

Linda and Scooter & Jack

Member Since 2012
Hi Folks:

Scooter seems to be getting a little weight gain since being OTJ. I am wondering how much food folks feed there kitties a day. I do not use an automatic feeder just FF pate or Friskies pate. Currently he is getting about two cans a day. He is still stealing anything he can get his hands on as well. I am sure he can't wait for the kids coming this week. :lol:

Thanks for your input!

Linda
 
ECID. My Ginger who is 10 years old about 11 pounds and female and somewhat active eats about 2 cans of FF a day.
I think it's if he is gaining weight and you don't want him to, then reduce his portions by a little bit. If you want him to gain weight, then increase his portions by a little bit. It depends on the age, activity level, and the cat himself and how he metabolizes his food.
 
Linda --

If you go to Dr. Lisa's site (http://www.catinfo.org) in the section on Obesity, she has a formula for how many calories per day a kitty may need. She also notes that it's a generous formula. What you may want to do is reduce the amount you're feeding Scooter by an ounce or so. Then, weigh him. if he's losing weight on that amount of food, then you've accomplished your goal.

It's really hard to give you a fixed amount that's "right." It's the same with people. A lot depends on activity level, metabolism, age, etc. Do what works for your cat!
 
It is totally an ECID different situation. My Mittens is lean, lanky 12 pounds and eats 8-10oz a day. My foster Chris is built like an ape and wavering between 18.5 and 18.7 on the scale. He's gained a bit over 1.5 pounds since we brought him home. We have him down to 5.5-6oz of food a day and the scale still isn't noticeably moving. We worked out the formulas on Dr Lisa's page and have been working down the food quantity slowly. Poor guy gets 2 licks of food at each meal :?
 
You might also try adding a little pure protein (like chicken)

Not many calories but will give him something to chew on other than your ankles! :lol:

Have you tried increasing his exercise? China will chase after Da Bird Cat toy until she literally can't continue and is laying on her side panting!

Great way to burn off some of those extra pounds!
 
Hey LInda

Glad Scooter is doing well otherwise. I used Dr. Lisa's formula to calculate calories needed. I started by calculating calories needed, weighed the cats, fed the calories for about five days, weighed again. Both cats gained so I decreased the food and repeated until they were flat and didn't gain. Both required a lot less calories than the formula. But now they've both maintained their weight beautifully.
 
Judging how much you feed by cans is really hard. You need to find out the calories in each flavor of food you feed and go by that. Some foods can be 40 calories an ounce others only 20. Cats need to count calories too!
 
Oh goodness I had no idea. I was worried I was underfeeding him and according to Dr. Lisa I am not.

So as always I am following the great advice from all of you and weighing him tomorrow and we can start from there. Just fyi Scooter is an Egyptian Mau and his stable weight is only 7 pd he has always been a tiny cat. We literally call him the "little old man" because of his size. I think he may need a vet visit just for a check up. He hates the cold winter days but loves his Doctor P. So the trip will be bad the visit will be fun for him.

As always thank you!
 
Ann is spot on. Some foods I've fed are 28 calories/ounce; others are 35. I have a chart that tells me how much to feed based on the calories so sometimes it seems Gracie is getting more volume, but calorie wise, she's not.
 
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